National Homeownership Month, 2003
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Homeownership is more than just a symbol of the American Dream; it
is an important part of our way of life. Core American values of
individuality, thrift, responsibility, and self-reliance are embodied
in homeownership. I am committed to helping more families know the
security and sense of pride that comes with owning a home.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is leading an
Administration-wide effort to bring new tools and resources to would-be
homeowners. We are providing financial assistance to qualified
families through the American Dream Downpayment Fund, funding
educational programs that stress financial literacy, and offering a
compassionate hand to those who dream of moving from subsidized housing
into homeownership. And through the Self-Help Homeownership
Opportunity Program, my Administration partners with nonprofit
organizations that offer homeownership oppor-tunities to families
willing to contribute their skills and labor to help build a home of
their own. We are also proposing ways to make it easier to shop for a
mortgage and to make mortgages available to more families through the
Federal Housing Administration.

Today, the United States is fortunate in that our homeownership
rate is at an all-time high, and low interest rates continue to
encourage millions of Americans to become first-time homeowners.
Although a record number of Americans own their own homes, we continue
to see a gap between the homeowner-ship rates of minorities and
nonminorities. By a significant margin, minority families are less
likely to own their own homes. Therefore, I have called upon the
entire housing industry to join with my Administration to expand
minority homeownership across the Nation. Our goal is to help at least
5.5 million minority families become homeowners by the end of this
decade, and our Blueprint for the American Dream Partnership is taking
bold steps to make this a reality.

Across our Nation, every citizen, regardless of race, creed, color,
or place of birth, should have the opportunity to become a homeowner.
Homeownership represents a pathway to pride and prosperity for many
families, encourages values of responsibility and sacrifice, creates
stability for neighborhoods and communities, and generates economic
growth that helps strengthen the entire Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2003 as National
Homeownership Month. I call upon the people of the United States to
join me in recognizing the importance of offering every American the
opportunity to realize their dream of homeownership and to help work
towards making that dream a reality.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day
of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand three, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-seventh.